This invention relates in general to educational payment systems and, more specifically, to methods and apparatuses for using educational payment systems.
In the university setting, meal cards are used to allow students to purchase meals from their meal plan or a value associated with the card. In some cases, the meal card also serves as a student identification card. The student pays for a particular meal plan or to add a particular value to their card using a check, cash, or credit card. Paying with a check can be done on-line, but paying with a check or cash requires visiting a physical location, paying by mail, or otherwise interfacing with a human.
If value is added to the card, accounts are maintained to store the value for each student. These accounts are maintained by the university and debited whenever a transaction is made. In some circumstances, the cards that may be tied to a credit card. Using the card to purchase items results in a charge to the associated credit card. In some cases, the cards can be used to purchase items other than meals.